


And I'll Be Here

by stillmumu



Category: Canada's Drag Race RPF, RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Comfort, Cute, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Lesbian AU, Romantic Fluff, Short & Sweet, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:54:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25610179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stillmumu/pseuds/stillmumu
Summary: Lemon is sick, and Priyanka takes care of her.
Relationships: Lemon/Priyanka (Canada's Drag Race RPF)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39





	And I'll Be Here

To be honest, Priyanka isn’t totally sure why she is doing this. Or what she’s doing at all, really, driving over to Lemon’s house. She’s fought with herself the whole 20-minute trip, not super sure how the girl would take it if she just randomly showed up.

Lemon had shot her a quick text a few hours ago, saying that she didn’t feel so good and that they’d have to reschedule their date. Priyanka would be lying if she said she wasn’t a little disappointed by the cancellation— okay, maybe a lot disappointed— but any selfish feelings were largely ruled out by the overwhelming sense of concern and sympathy that Priyanka had felt for the other girl. The fact that the text wasn’t punctuated with Lemon’s regular string of yellow hearts made her even more anxious, and so here Priyanka was, 20 minutes later, sitting outside Lemon’s apartment building in her car, debating whether or not it would come across as creepy if she went inside.

It wasn’t like she wasn’t comfortable with Lemon. 

They’ve been official for a week and a half now, not counting the 1 month’s worth of dates before that (awkward, but sweet) and the two weeks of clumsy flirting in between university classes. Not that Priyanka’s counting, except she totally is. Priyanka’s been to Lemon’s apartment twice before, just enough times to have the address bookmarked in her phone but not enough to feel completely comfortable in the space yet. She really likes this girl and cares about her, and she knows that goes both ways. 

She’s just… nervous. Nervous about turning up unannounced to the girl’s apartment, nervous about what to expect, nervous about her first attempt at playing the caring girlfriend. The last point brings a light smile to Priyanka’s face, and she feels a little bit of the unease dissipate. She corrects her previous thought, taking on an air of confidence. This isn’t a chore or an act; her feelings for Lemon are real, and that means she’s there with the other girl through thick and thin. She can do this. Priyanka grabs her phone, riding this new wave of boldness, and types out a hasty text. 

_Priyanka:_ _hey lem_

_ i’m outside ur apartment _

_ can you buzz me up? _

She waits a few minutes but gets no response. The thought makes her worried, as Lemon’s practically glued to her phone on a normal day. A well-dressed man in a suit lets her in the building anyways, and Priyanka throws a quick “thank you” over her shoulder as she hurries up to Lemon’s floor.

Priyanka slips the spare key to Lemon’s apartment out of her purse, thanking her past self for having the good sense to exchange keys with the other girl. These fancy apartment buildings have crazy security. The whole buzzing intercom system had confused Priyanka the first time she visited, and the other girl had to walk her through the process.

The door opens with a click, and Priyanka steps through, eyes already scanning her surroundings for a familiar shock of bright yellow hair. Nothing.

“Lem?” Priyanka calls.

A faint “in here!” sounds from the general direction of the bathroom, and Priyanka heads in search of her girlfriend. She finds the girl slumped on the floor, head hanging over the toilet bowl in the dark.

“Jesus, Lem, are you okay?” Priyanka flicks the light on, only to turn it off as soon as Lemon’s hands fly up to cover her eyes.

“Too bright,” Lemon groans, batting her hands in the general direction of the light switch. “Hurts.” 

Priyanka rushes towards the girl, gently gathering her hair and holding it out of her face. She rolls a ponytail holder off of her wrist, putting Lemon’s hair into a ponytail for her.

“How long have you been like this?”

“Since I texted,” Lemon mumbles.

Priyanka tsks, tucking a few stray strands behind her girlfriend’s ear. “You should have told me, I would’ve come sooner.”

“Didn’t wanna bother you,” comes the reply. “You didn’t have to come, I’m sorry.” It’s punctuated by dry heaving, and Priyanka winces at the sound.

“Don’t apologize, it’s not your fault,” Priyanka says, soft but firm. 

It twists her heart up to know that Lemon has been suffering like this for a few hours, all alone. It’s just like Lemon to not want to disturb Priyanka, even when she’s sick to the point of throwing up. It’s stupid and sweet at the same time, and Priyanka doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry, to hit her or kiss her. She settles on brushing a hand over Lemon’s forehead, as gently as she can, not missing the way the other girl grimaces at her touch. She’s burning up, a lot.

“When was the last time you ate?” Priyanka asks, trying to be helpful.

“I don’t know,” Lemon struggles to get words out, breathing heavy. “Uh, I had coffee.”

“So, breakfast then?”

“Kept throwing up,” Lemon gets out. “Wasn’t worth it.” 

“I brought Khichdi? It’s um, lentils and rice. My mom used to make it when I was sick,” She offers.

Lemon shakes her head. “Maybe later.”

Her words are clipped, voice unusually weak and cracked. She grips the edge of the toilet tightly with both hands, knuckles turning white at the sheer force of the action. Priyanka thinks if she squeezes any harder, it might crack and send shards into the Lemon’s palms.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Priyanka says, peeling her fingers off of the porcelain. Lemon just hums in response, tongue trailing over her chapped lips. “Does your head hurt?”

A light nod confirms her answer. “And my stomach.”

“Okay, do you think you can stand up?”

Lemon tries to push herself up, only to have a wave of dizziness knock her back to the ground. She lets out an involuntary whimper and Priyanka feels her heart drop. Lemon’s clearly way sicker than she had first thought, and it hurts her to see the typically bubbly girl in this state.

“Sorry, that was a bad idea.” Guilt worms it’s way into Priyanka’s stomach as Lemon presses a hand to her forehead, letting out a sound that’s somewhere between a choke and a sob. “Alright, uh, I’m gonna try and get you into your bedroom. Just lean on me, yeah?” 

She manages to get Lemon up into an awkward sort of lean against the wall, the girl gripping onto her so hard Priyanka is sure her veins might pop from the bright yellow nails digging into her wrist. The cheery colour is a sharp contrast to the current atmosphere, and the irony of it all would have made her chuckle if not for the groaning girl that the nails belonged to. 

“Babe,” She hisses, her tone coming off sharper than intended from the pain. “Your nails- loosen your-”

“Sorry.” Lemon seems to get the gist, adjusting her hold on Priyanka so that it’s less painful.

“It’s fine,” Priyanka flashes her the brightest smile she can given the situation, trying to reassure her. Lemon’s eyes are shining with tears, probably from a combination of the pain she’s in and guilt at hurting Priyanka. Being tired always made the younger girl more emotional, and it looks to be the same for when she’s sick as well. “Think you can try to get to your bed for me?”

“Uh-huh,” Lemon says, sounding unconvinced.

Priyanka goes with it anyways. “Great, okay. Let me know if you need to stop or anything.”

She guides the girl towards the bedroom slowly. Lemon stumbles along, pausing a few times to take shaky breaths in and out. She nearly falls into the mattress as soon as Priyanka pulls the covers back for her, curling into a fetal position.

“Well done,” Priyanka praises. The gentle praise seems to send Lemon over the edge, tears slipping down her cheeks.

“I don’t know why I’m crying.” She sniffles, curling even tighter into herself. Her hand goes up to cover her face, the tears leaking out through her fingers.

“No, Lem, don’t, it’s okay,” Priyanka says. The other girl’s pout tugs at her heartstrings, and she feels helpless, not knowing what to say to make her feel better. “Do you need anything?”

Lemon turns her head to look at her, offering a watery smile. “Stay?”

“Of course, hun.” Priyanka kneels by the bed, playing with her hair idly. “I’m not gonna leave, don’t worry.”

Seemingly reassured, the girl lets out a small yawn. Her eyelids flutter, and she makes grabby hands at Priyanka’s free hand. “M’kay.”

“You must be tired,” Priyanka says, mostly to herself. “You can rest. I’ll be here.”

Lemon drifts off, her foggy mind making it hard to concentrate on much. She does manage one thought before sleep pulls her under though, a mess of mushy feelings and soft skin. Priyanka’s hand is still stroking her hair gently, and the rhythmic motions are calming. 

She’s so lucky to have her.


End file.
